News

The production is directed by Belgian director Frank Van Laecke, an artist with a distinguished international career in opera, musical theatre and drama, known for blending classical form and contemporary vision of operatic aesthetics. Ahead of the premiere, Van Laecke noted: “In this interpretation, I see Tannhäuser as an exceptionally gifted artist, a composer obsessed with the search for the perfect score, constantly confronted with his own doubts, the pressures of his environment and social condemnation, a figure that can also be interpreted as a reflection of Wagner, a creator in constant struggle with his own limits and the expectations of the world around him.”

The opera will be conducted by Srba Dinić, a long-time collaborator of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, together with Maestro Ivan Josip Skender.

Completed in 1845, the opera marks a turning point in Wagner’s oeuvre, situated between early Romantic influences and the music drama of his mature period. Drawing on legends of medieval poet-composers for his own libretto, Wagner places at the centre of the work an artist torn between spiritual and physical love, ideal and passion, redemption and damnation.

The staging history of Tannhäuser in Zagreb attests to its enduring artistic power, but also how rarely it is staged. The opera was first presented by the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb on 5 June 1895, followed by a new production in 1912, while the most recent production dates from 1930, directed by Tito Strozzi. After nearly a century, Tannhäuser returns to the repertoire as a major artistic event, once again opening a space for encountering one of the most demanding works in the operatic repertoire.

General Manager and Artistic Director Dr Iva Hraste Sočo emphasises the importance of the production in the context of international collaboration:

- This co-production affirms our strategic orientation towards stronger connections with European theatre partners, as well as towards the realisation of artistically demanding projects that transcend the production capacities of a single opera house.

Ahead of the premiere, the Director of the CNT Opera, Željka Barišić Pulig, highlights:

-         I am extremely proud of our ensemble, which has approached the performance of yet another demanding work of the operatic repertoire with great dedication and artistic maturity. Tannhäuser sets high standards for everyone involved in the performance, from the soloists and the chorus to the orchestra, and it is precisely in such challenges that our Opera affirms its artistic prowess and artistic excellence.

The title role of Tannhäuser is performed by Eric Laporte and Bryan Register, while the role of Elisabeth is sung by Valentina Fijačko Kobić, Evelin Novak and Maja Sremec (cover). Venus is performed by Dubravka Šeparović Mušović and Sofija Petrović, and Wolfram von Eschenbach by Jaka Mihelač, Ljubomir Puškarić and Jurica Jurasić Kapun (cover). The role of Hermann is performed by Sorin Coliban and Sava Vemić. Walther von der Vogelweide is sung by Filip Filipović and Roko Radovan, Biterolf by Ozren Bilušić and Siniša Hapač, Heinrich der Schreiber by Ivo Gamulin and Josip Švagelj, and Reinmar von Zweter by Siniša Štork and Toni Nežić. The Shepherd is performed by Petra Cik and Hana Ilčić, while the pages are portrayed by Mima Karaula and Ana Zebić (First Page), Rea Alaburić and Patricija Žudetić (Second Page), Vedrana Zrnić and Marija Posavac (Third Page), and Tena Lebarić Rašković and Lidija Madjerčić (Fourth Page).

In anticipation of this exceptional opera, audiences can expect a powerful musical and theatrical experience that opens up fundamental questions of art, identity and the human search for an ideal of beauty.

The premiere is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Zagreb.